Buffing and draft gear.



i3. Fl LIVELY.

Bun-:NG AND DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE l?. 1915.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917 Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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BUFFING ANDDRAFT GEAR.

lSpecication of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 17, 1916. Serial 170.104,24).

To aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that 1, BENJAMIN F. LIVELY" a citizen of the United States, resldmg at Lenoir' City, in the county of Loudon and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bufling and Draft Gears and I do hereby declare .the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to buliing and draft gear for railway cars and consists in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularlyy l0n the further movement thereof, to the end of obtaining an increased range of aetion, together with a graduation of the resistance both for the bufling and draw-bar pull operations.

The invention has for its further purpose to provide a construction of apparatus for the purpose stated which employs the minimum number of parts that are disposed to give uniform distribution of the strains, and in which the elements may be conveniently assembled or disassembled.

rlhe invention is disclosed by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus with parts in section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof with parts in section;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view thereof showing the springs atthe limit of their movement when coperating in series; and

Fig. l is .a similar view showing the springs at the limit of their movement when working in parallel.

Referring to the construction in detail7 1 designates the'car structure having mounted thereunder by. suitable means a frame 2 of the butling and draft gear that may be of ordinary construction, substantially as sh'own, or any suitable form. The draw-bar 3 carrying the usual coupling member 4 is formed with a yoke 5 that is secured to the shank 6 of the draw-bar by the key 7 passing through suitable apertures formed in said shank and the yoke arms respectively.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917. i

Said key 7 projects at either end through suitable slots 8 formed in the sides of the A frame 2 and is held against displacement by means of the two pins 9 or other suitable devices.

Two pairs of followers 10, 11 and 12,13 are mounted within the frame 2 and constructed' i to be embraced by the respective arms of the draw-bar yoke 5 after the manner shown in Fig. 2, and pairs of springs 14 and 15 are mounted between the respective pairs of said followers (see Figs. 1 and 2). Each pair of followers is provided with a second and smaller pair of springs 111L and 15 mounted within the larger springs, and said followers and the draw-bar yoke 5 are held in proper working` relation within the frame by means of the spacingmembers or ribs 10arand 11a formed on the inner faces of the frame (see Figs. 1 and The two inner followers 11 and 12 are normally disposed in abutment, as shown, and separated each an appreciable distance from the pa'irof stops 16 and Awith which said followers are adapted to engage res'pectively on the extended movement of the draft bar to be further explained.` The endmost followers 10 and 13 are normallv held in engagement with a pair of stops 17 and 18 under the'expansive action of the springs.

A key 19 is mounted to have sliding movetween the two inner followers 11 and 12 and is held against displacement by suitable securing rings or collars -22 that are fastened thereto by the pins 23. and said collars 22 are constructed with curved surfaces 24 adjacent the sidesof the frame to allow of limitedangular movement to the key under' the bufiing and draw pull strains of the draft gear.

In operation, the initial movement of the draw-bar under buling imparts a like motion' to the follower 10 which, acting on the springs 14 and 14u, moves the two inner and abutting' followers (11 and 12), and these in turncompress the springs 15 and 15a a gainst the follower 13` that is seated against the stops 18, and" throughout this initial op eration the'springs co-act in series. The eX- tent of this' 'coperation in series of theA space X (see Fig. 1) between the follower 11 and its engaging faces of the stops 1 l. And on the furthermovement-of the draft bar, z'. e. after' space. X has been'taken` up, said/follower 11- isfarrested by thevstops 16 and the follower '12 caused to` be inoved to compress the springs 15 and 15a due to the engagement of the drawbar yoke contacting.y with the key 19 and moving the same against said follower 12,- when the two followers l1 and 12'act independently and their vrespective springs are under compression in parallel. The draw-bar pull Willbetaken up ina like sequence of operations of the.

springs, e. the two inner followers (11 will co' act as one element to compress the springs in series on the initial movement ofthe dra bar and thereafter work ,independently to bring the springs under compression -in parallel on the continued movement of the draw-bar.

yso

operable in serles on the ,in'tia 'movement through the 'coupier shank and 40.'

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing -from the spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims.

` Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a buling and draft gear,`the combination of a frame, a coupler shank movable pairs of followers mounted in the frame in tandem, stops on the frame for said followers, a separate element carried by the coupler shank, and springs interposed between said followers respectively and co-I buiiing 1n arallel through `the coupler shank and sai element onthe furtherrlbuliing movement thereof.

2. In a buiiing and draft gear, the combination of a frame, a coupler shank movable in the frame, a yoke member carried by the coupler shank, pairs of followers mounted in the frame in tandem, stops on the frame for said followers, and springs interposed between said followers respectively, and coperable in series on the initial buiing movement through the coupler shank and in parallel through the coupling shank and said yoke member on the further bufing movement thereof.

3. In a buiiing and draft gear, the combination of a frame, a coupler shank movable in the frame, pairs of followers mounted in the frame Ain tandem, stops on the frame for said followers, a separate element carried by the cou-pler shank provided with means for engaging both intermediate followers and adapted to move said followers in opposite directions, and springs interposed between said followers respectively, and co- -operable in series on the initial buiing movement through the coupler shank and in parallel through the coupler shank and said element; said coupler shank compressing the forward spring and the element compressing the rear spring through the means enga'ng the. rear follower on the further bu n movement thereof.

4.l a buiing and draft gear the combinationof a frame, a draw-bar movable in thezfram, two pairs of followers lmounted inthe frame in tandem, stops 'on the frame for, said followers, springs interposed betwdenvfsaid pairs of followers respectively, and' a pin interposed between the two intermediate followers and having loose engage- .ment with thedraw-bar; said followers and vsprings collectively coperable in series on the initial movement of the draft bar, and said pin with the stops adapted to bring the springs to work in parallel on further (movement of the draw-bar.

5. In a bufing and draft gear the combination of a frame, a draw-bar movable in the frame, two pairs of followers mounted in the frame in tandem, springsl interposed between said pairs of followers respectlvely, stops on the frame normally enga 'ng with the outer followers, stops on the rame intermediate of and spaced from the two inner followers, and a pin associated with said inner followers and having loose engagement with the draw-bar; said springs with the two inner followers coperable in series on the initial movement of the draw-bar; and said pinwith the intermediate stops adapted to bring the springs to work 1n parallel on the further movement of the draw-bar. j t

6. Iln a buing and draft gear the combination of a frame, a draw-bar movable in the frame and constructed with a yoke having a slot therein, two pairs of followers mounted in tandem on said yoke, springs interposed between said pairs of followers respectively, stops on the frame normally engaging with the two outer followers, stops on the frame intermediate of and .spaced from the two inner followers, and a in slidably 4mounted on the frame and passing through the yoke'slot .and between said two inner followers; said springs with the two inner followers coperable in series on the initial movement of the draw-bar; and said pin with the intermediate stops adapted to lli Leonesa on the frame intermediate of and spaeed from the two inner followers, and a pin slidebly mounted on the frame and passing through the yoke slot and between said two inner followers; saidv springs with the two inner followers acting as a single element, ooperable in series on the initial movement of the draw-bar; and said pin and intermediate stops adapted to bring the two inner followers to work independently and cause thesprlngs to be compressed in parmounted in tandem in sold frame and construoted to be embraced by the yoke, springs interposed between said Dairs of followers respectively, stops on the frame normally engaging with the two outer followers, stops on the'frame intermediate of and spaced from the two inner followers; said inner followers being normally in abutment; and a pin slidably mounted on the frame and passing through the yoke slot and through said two inner followers; said sorings with the abutting followers coperable in series on the initial movement of the draw-bar, and said pin and intermediate stops adapted to bring the two inner followers to Work independently and cause the springs to be compressed in parallel on the further movement of the draw-bar.

In testimony whereof l aix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMlN FURMAN LlVELY.

Witnesses:

H. N. CURB,

W. E. CUYL. 

